Graves Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Graves Name Meaning: A patronymic variant of 'Grave'.Occupational from 'Greyve',denoted from middle English,meaning 'steward'. Also topographic,a variant of 'Grove'.

This may indicate somebody who lived near a 'grove' or 'thicket'.

Discover how your Graves ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Graves Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Graves family

Profession Census Frequency
School 567
Farm Labourer 76
Private Means 63
General Servant (domestic) 47
Farmer 40
None 39
Labourer 33
General Labourer 33
Clerk 23
Domestic Servant 23
At Home 22
Dressmaker 22
At School 21
House Painter 21
Housekeeper 20
House Keeper 19
Scholar 19
Carman 18
School Boy 16
General Servant Domestic 15
Nil 14
Shop Assistant 14
Assisting In The Business 13
Dock Labourer 13
Charwoman 12

Graves Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Greaves 86% 61,638
2 Groves 83% 55,517
3 Graves 100% 34,701
4 Grieves 71% 4,346
5 Greeves 71% 3,658
6 Greves 83% 2,031
7 Gervis 50% 1,055
8 Garvis 50% 704
9 Grooves 71% 535
10 Grives 83% 450
11 Greives 71% 269
12 Gravis 83% 191
13 Gervase 43% 163
14 Garves 67% 154

Did you know?

The surname Graves is the 3rd most popular variant of Greaves.

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